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MacEwan mulls tuition hikes up to 9.7 per cent in wake of funding cuts

Author of the article:

Moira Wyton

Publishing date:

December 11, 2019 • 2 minute read

MacEwan University./ FILEMacEwan University’s board of governors will consider a proposal to increase tuition next week by an average of seven per cent — the maximum allowed by the province — in September after its provincial funding was cut by $9.1 million in the UCP’s October budget.

If the proposed hikes — passed by the Finance, Property & Investment Committee Wednesday — are approved by the board at its meeting next week, domestic students in 23 of 63 programs at MacEwan would see increases between 9.6 and 9.7 per cent, just shy of the 10 per cent annual program cap held by the province when it lifted the five-year tuition freeze in October.

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The hikes are expected to result in an additional $4 million in revenue for 2020-21. Fees for international students would rise by 2.4 per cent on average.

“Our first priority is our students and preserving the quality of the academic experience,” said MacEwan spokesperson Allan Linklater in an emailed statement on Wednesday, noting that tuition for MacEwan remains low compared to other institutions in the province.

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“Over the next few months we will be looking at our longer-range plans for tuition and fees and will have further discussions with our students about strategies that address affordability for students.”

The proposal comes in the wake of a 7.9 per cent cut to MacEwan’s Campus Alberta grant, among other funding pools, the highest proportional cut for any post-secondary in the province this year.

Laurie Chandler, press secretary for Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides, stressed in an emailed statement Wednesday that the tuition increases have not yet been approved and that funding cuts were made based on an institution’s ability to absorb the changes.

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“Surely university administration can look at its own expenses to find savings that do not impact students,” she wrote to Postmedia.

The university is looking into land sales to generate one-time revenue for its estimated $8.5 million deficit in the first quarter the fiscal year. Linklater also said 22 non-instructional positions have been eliminated so far through incentives for voluntary separation agreements, and up to 60 vacant positions are expected to be eliminated in the future.

The Students’ Association of MacEwan University (SAMU) said it strongly opposes any tuition increases and estimates the proposed hikes will cost affected domestic students taking a full course load up to $500 per year.

“(Tuition increases) further the financial inaccessibility that folks face while entering into post-secondary and while living in post-secondary as well,” said SAMU vice-president external Cole Baker in an interview, noting there was a “lack of meaningful consultation” with students before the proposal was brought to the committee.

“The budget should not be balanced on the backs of students and their families.”